What I Wish I'd Known: Baby Gear - Baby Monitors

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My daughter is 3.5 now, and we still use a baby monitor. We're actually using the monitor that we started out with. Not that we didn't switch to different monitors between birth and now. We did. And for various reasons (mainly, the ones we liked kept breaking), we're back at square one. 

Find out what types of baby monitors are out there, and which ones I liked using best when you read below.



Non-Video Monitors 
So, I guess you would just call these Audio Monitors. There's no picture to show you what your kid is up to in his crib or bedroom. And that's just fine! I actually had a pediatrician tell me that she didn't recommend video baby monitors for security reasons. Whether she was right or not, I don't know. We went ahead and got the video monitor anyway.

Stationary Video Monitors
This is the type of baby monitor that we started off with. Our model isn't made anymore, but it is similar to the Motorola MBP26. It was relatively inexpensive and gave us the camera for the baby's room and a handheld unit. The battery life was not super great, so the handheld unit needs to be plugged in pretty frequently, but that might vary from model to model. 


Here's why we took a break from this baby monitor - the camera doesn't move. That may not seem like a huge issue, but before my daughter started sleeping in her crib, she slept in the bassinet in our room or in the Pack'n'Play or in her swing or in her bouncy seat. So we were frequently moving the camera around the house, and it was hard to set it up so that my daughter was always in view. Sometimes we'd set it up and then turn on the monitor and realize that we were focused on a chair and not her. Tiny inconveniences, but that's why we switched to a...

Rotating Video Monitor
With these types of baby monitors, you get a camera and a parent handheld unit, which basically acts like a remote control for the camera. Depending on the model you get, the camera might have a 360-degree rotation. Now that's ALWAYS keeping baby in view! Usually these types of baby monitors are also a little more high-tech, turning the parent handheld unit into a walkie talkie so you can talk to your child without having to go back into the room. You might even be able to play built-in lullabies or soothing sounds, and receive temperature alerts if it's too hot or too cold in your child's room. There are all kinds of cool features with these higher-tech versions, and it will be up to you which features are most important.



We started out using the Summer Infant Panorama Digital Color Video Monitor, and that was great until it just stopped working after a year. Then we got a Panasonic Long-Range Baby Monitor, which worked a little bit longer than the Summer Infant one until the camera's night vision went kaput and all we could see on the monitor was a black screen. Kind of defeats the purpose of having a video monitor.

That said, I love this style of monitor, and if you can find one that will definitely last, I think it's worth it.

App Baby Monitors
There's also another segment of baby monitors that usually overlaps with the Rotating Monitors, and that's the App Monitors. Instead of getting a handheld unit and a camera, you get a camera and a free app download to turn your smart device into the parent handheld unit. I've tested out these types of monitors from iBaby and Invidyo for work, and I like the idea behind them: parents are always on their phones, so why not give them access to their kid from that one device? Through these apps, you also get a lot of high-tech features: two-way talk, built-in lullabies and sounds, camera rotation and zoom, temperature and sound alerts, and more. These features will vary from model to model.



What's also cool about the apps is the ability to check on baby wherever you are. So, let's say you leave your kid at home with a babysitter while you are at work. You can log on at your desk and see what your kid is up to (provided that the kid is in the same room as the camera).

My problems with using this type of monitor were that the app burned through my phone's battery, and if I didn't have the app on, I couldn't hear the sound coming from my daughter's room. The app will only alert you if sound or movement is detected AFTER it happens. And one night, I totally slept through multiple sound alerts. Oops.

So, what's my verdict? Well, even though we're currently using the old stationary monitor (does that say more about this particular model's longevity or about the quality of the other monitors?), it doesn't have any of the great features we grew accustomed to from the other monitors. So... 

Keep:
Rotating Video Monitor - must have adjustable camera and two-way talk, I personally prefer a handheld parent unit, other high-tech features a plus

Nix:
Non-Video Monitor - I personally like seeing what my kid is doing
Stationary Video Monitor - can't adjust the camera, my current model doesn't have two-way talk
App Baby Monitors - I personally don't like using my phone as the monitor

What about you guys? What types of baby monitors have you used? What features do you like best from a monitor? 

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